Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to plumbing fixtures, in particular to preassembled plumbing fixtures.
Description of the Prior Art
The installation of plumbing systems such as kitchen or bathroom sinks, toilets, or other plumbing fixtures and appliance outlets for residential, commercial, or industrial applications, typically requires the use of devices such as holders and straps to hold incoming and outgoing pipes to and from the plumbing fixture or appliance outlet. Typically, the way that plumbing systems are installed is by securing the plumbing pipes to the structure of the building (except in the case of underground plumbing, which is supported by the earth). The pipes are usually secured to the structure by straps and brackets. Temporary “rough-in” brackets may also be used during installation.
Some plumbing fixtures, such as sinks or toilets, have standard dimensions and standard distances between the pipes. For example, the distance between the hot and cold water pipes in a bathroom sink is always the same. A plumber installing a sink would therefore need to install the pipes leading up to the sink in such a way that the two outlet pipes come out of the wall at the predetermined distance necessary for a sink. This can be difficult, since the two pipes need to be soldered in place, existing brackets typically only hold one pipe at a time, and ensuring that the two pipes are at the exact distance needed for a sink is a time-consuming and laborious task. Many pipe locators, clamps, support straps, and other similar devices have been developed to make this job easier; however, all of them still require the plumber to install the outlet pipes on location while the pipes are temporarily held in place by whatever fixture is used. Since plumbers typically charge by the hour, this is an expensive proposition.
A need therefore exists for a device and method that would enable standard plumbing systems such as sink or toilet outlets to be pre-assembled offsite and installed as a unit.